October Countdown - NADD Selects Standard bearer

In an earlier press release from the party, two candidates were said to have been nominated for the standard-bearer mandate, Hon. Halifa Sallah, Member of Parliament for Serekunda Central and founding leader of the Peoples Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) and Mr. Lamin Waa Juwara leader of National Democratic Action Movement (NDAM).

According to sources, Mr. Sallah was given the nudge to lead the alliance by consensus of the party executive after the withdrawal of the second only nominee Lamin Waa Juwara in order to give way to Hon. Sallah. Mr. Sallah’s selection comes on the heels of the resignation of Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP) from the NADD executive early February, amid charges of distrust within the executive.

Ousainou Darboe and Hamat Bah of the National Reconciliation Party went ahead to forge another alliance of their two respective parties to contest the October poll under the leadership of Mr. Darboe. The duo has since hit the campaign trail with mass rallies in Brikama and recently Sinchu Alagie in Kombo North Constituency.

Observers are closely watching the split in the opposition camp as the decisive October election approaches. Many believe a fractured opposition stands very little chance of unseating incumbent Yahya Jammeh of the Alliance for Patriotism and Reconstruction Party (APRC) who is likely to seek a thirdterm of presidency. The Gambia has no term limit for presidency which many believe has been conspicuously absent from the second Republic Constitution following mass approval in a referendum in order to give a carte-de-blank to dictator Jammeh for self-perpetuating rule.

In April of 2005, five opposition parties (PPP, UDP, NRP, NDAM, and PDOIS) came together to form an alliance following a constitutional amendment by Jammeh’s APRC dominated National Assembly to remove second round voting in the presidential election should a leading candidate fail to register a clear majority of 50% votes. Mr. Ousainou Darboe of the UDP has been Jammeh’s closest challenger in the Gambia’s last two presidential elections which have been described by many observers as neither free nor fair.